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PARENT GUIDE: JESUS AND THE ORDINARYWe realize that you, as parents, are the primary faith influencers in a young person’s life. The best disciple making takes place when students’ parents take the lead. That’s why we’ve created this helpful guide for you to use at home with your child. It is designed to give you some basic information about what is being taught at church through The Black Letters of Jesus curriculum, along with some helpful tools, suggestions, and questions to help you reinforce this learning at home.4445195107WHAT ARE THE BLACK LETTERS OF JESUS?A lot of studies focus on Jesus’ words—the red letters of Scripture. But what would it look like if we focused on his actions—the black letters??The Black Letters of Jesus?is?a yearlong curriculum based?on the things Jesus did while he was here on earth. Some themes may be familiar and some will allow students to see Jesus in a new way. These are lessons drawn from the life of the one who became flesh and lived among his creation.*Each lesson has a The Black Letters of Jesus statement that describes the main action we’re studying.0WHAT ARE THE BLACK LETTERS OF JESUS?A lot of studies focus on Jesus’ words—the red letters of Scripture. But what would it look like if we focused on his actions—the black letters??The Black Letters of Jesus?is?a yearlong curriculum based?on the things Jesus did while he was here on earth. Some themes may be familiar and some will allow students to see Jesus in a new way. These are lessons drawn from the life of the one who became flesh and lived among his creation.*Each lesson has a The Black Letters of Jesus statement that describes the main action we’re studying.OVERVIEW OF JESUS AND THE ORDINARY (4 Lessons)When we think of the way Jesus spent his time on earth that last word we typically would use is ordinary. Everything about him, from conception to resurrection, was extraordinary and miraculous. In this lesson set, students will explore how a very extraordinary Jesus interacts with the ordinary world around him. They’ll look at times when Jesus used ordinary things for extraordinary purposes; the way he transformed and repurposed the broken and “unusable,” the things he values and why he values them, and the way he uses ordinary people like us to advance his extraordinary mission.MAIN TOPICS AND SCRIPTURE COVEREDFOR YOU TO KNOW:FOR YOU TO ASK:1: From Ordinary to Extraordinary (John 6:1-13)Jesus feeds the 5000. He performs a miracle with inconsequential things brought by a boy from the crowd. Jesus uses the ordinary for extraordinary purposes. And he can use whatever we bring him.The Black Letters of Jesus:Jesus uses an ordinary lunch to accomplish the extraordinary.What is one way you have seen God solve one of our problems in an unexpected way?2: Blindsighted (John 9:1-11, 35-38)Our first response when something breaks is to fix it ourselves. When it comes to our own brokenness, we try to avoid the “wrong” people or do the “right” activities. But broken people can’t “fix” themselves. Enter Jesus. Not only can Jesus fix what’s broken, he’ll use the broken parts of our lives for something glorious. Our job is to depend on him.The Black Letters of Jesus:Jesus restores more than a blind man’s sight.What kind of testimony do you think you have?What are the biggest challenges you need God to “fix” right now?Here are a few of mine…3: Significant Sacrifice (Mark 12:41-44)It’s not the face value of what we do or offer Jesus that matters most. It’s the sacrifice/heart behind it. Students will be challenged to consider that the state of their hearts toward God can be seen in what they do with the ordinary—do they love sacrificially?The Black Letters of Jesus:Jesus teaches about the heart behind a widow’s small gift.What kinds of things do you find hard to sacrifice for God?Here’s what I find hard to give up…4: Let It Shine (2 Corinthians 4:1-12)God uses ordinary, fragile, often broken people like us to reveal Jesus to the world. Students will be challenged to examine how they are like jars of clay that hold a great treasure. They’ll also look at how their choices can help or hinder their ability to shine the light of Christ.The Black Letters of Jesus:Jesus gives us himself as a treasure to share with the world.Do you ever feel like people can’t really see Jesus in you? Why or why not?This is why I feel that way sometimes…ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO TOGETHERTHE TOASTER GAMEThis is a super-easy and fun way to talk about how ordinary everyday objects can be changed into something fun. It can just be for two of you or might be a fun game for the whole family. All you need is your toaster and random condiments from your fridge or cabinets. Try everything from mustard to chocolate chips, ice cream or left overs. Be creative. But remember you might have to eat whatever you put on the table!INSTRUCTIONS:Put a piece of bread in the toaster and pop it down.The moment the bread is down, everyone takes turns saying something that makes them unique.The person still talking when the toast pops us has to eat the toast with whatever topping the last toast-eater decides. (For the first round, a parent gets to pick the topping.)Start off with simple ingredients, like jam, butter, etc. You can slowly add more unusual options to the table. It works best to set the toaster on a shorter/lighter cycle.*Note: Play as many rounds as you would like. You can start with saying things that make you unique, but then move onto categories like favorite foods, or places you have always wanted to visit. Let your kids come up with the categories. As you are going around, talk about ways that God can use these unique/favorite things that seem ordinary to give us opportunities to change the world.MEMORY VERSESEach lesson has a corresponding verse to memorize or meditate on.“There is a boy here who hasfive barley loaves and two fish,but what are they for so many?”John 6:9 (ESV)His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”John 9:2-3 (ESV)JESUS AND THE ORDINARY 1: From Ordinary to ExtraordinaryJESUS AND THE ORDINARY 2:BlindsightedFor where your treasure is,there your heart will be also.Matthew 6:21 (ESV)We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)JESUS AND THE ORDINARY 3:Significant SacrificeJESUS AND THE ORDINARY 4:Let It Shine ................
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